There is an “employees market right now” in Ireland, according to a leading employment law expert.

Managing Director of the HR Suite Caroline Reidy said companies are being forced to meet certain demands from staff to fend off outside competition.

Unemployment has reached record lows in Ireland in recent months, standing at just 4.8% as of November according to the Central Statistics Office.

On The Pat Kenny Show today, Ms Reidy said this has forced employers to rethink their recruitment tactics.

“Employers more and more now are recruiting based on attitude, aptitude, and transferrable skills,” she said.

“This is rather than the typical ‘if you haven’t worked in the industry, you don’t have the experience for the job.’

“There are lots of factors driving all of this, including skill shortages and people working longer into their lifetimes.”

The rate of unemployment in Ireland across various age groups. Credit: Central Statistics Office

Ms Reidy said there are other factors at play too.

“I think a good work-life balance and flexibility are drivers for people in terms of personal satisfaction and wanting to have a more fulfilling career and job," she said.

“People are saying ‘there’s probably other things I can do’ that are out there.

“There are brilliant courses you can do at night and you can always do part-time work to test and try out a new career or a new job.”

New Year changes

The New Year is often a very popular time to make a career change.

“There’s lots of different opportunities available to people and January is a great time of year for that,” said Ms Reidy.

“There are lots of new courses starting around this time of year for people to acquire skills.

“Lots of people in January are very motivated and they might say to themselves, ‘I’ve always wanted to try this career, or test that out.’”

Ms Reidy said the competitive labour market has led to a surge in numbers working from home.

“If an organisation was to say ‘You need to come back into the office full-time’ - they will lose a lot of good people,” she said.

“There are other employers out there who are offering that flexibility to match the job.”

Productivity

Data also suggests that productivity is not affected whether working in the office or not.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, employment relationship is based on trust,” said Ms Reidy.

“We have to trust people are working even when they are not physically there.

“We have seen so far that the productivity of people working from home is definitely matching those working in the office.

“Once there are good guidelines, structures, and policies in place - plus clarity and expectation from both parties - it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ms Reidy added that there is also an increase in people looking towards self-employment options, monetising their hobbies in search of a satisfying career.

Main image: A man working in an office. Credit: Roman Lacheev / Alamy Stock Photo